Finished surface for articles of manufacture



J. R. McCLAlN.

FINISHED SURFACE FOR ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE. APPLICATION FILED OCT; 19,1918.

1,343,2 1 6. Patented June 15, 1920.

WITNESSES INVENTOR Meow/M] ATTQRNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN R. MOCLAIN, OF EDGEWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSEELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

FINISHED SURFACE FOR ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE.

Spccification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15, 1920.

Orighml application filed March 13,1918, Serial No. 222,056. Divided andthis application filed October 19, 1918. Serial No. 258,900.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoHN R. MoCLAIN, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Edgewood, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in FinishedSurfaces for Articles of Manufacture, of which the following isaspecification, th s being a division and continuation of applicationSerial No. 222,056, filed March 13, 1918,v patented Apr. 8, 1919, No.1,299,747.

My invention relates to articles of manu facture, such as furniture orother devlces or pieces of apparatus, the outer or usable faces of whichare not adapted for service conditions or which may be rendered moreattractive or-satisfactory in service by applying surfacing materialthereto and to the articles produced by such processes.

The object of my invention is to provide a product having a durableexposed surface of attractive appearance and possessing the ualities ofdurability and freedom from disfigurement by abrasion or the attack ofwater, alkalis or weak acids.-

It is a more or less usual practice to provide the outer surfaces ofarticles of furniture, such as desks, tables, Sideboards, etc. with thincoatings of veneer to insure surfaces of more desirable appearance thanis afforded by the material of which the bodies of such articles aremade, and it is also a more or less common practice to provide suchsurfaces with covers of plate glass.

In the case of a Veneer of ornamental wood, the surface provided isobviousl no more resistant to the abrasive action 0 objects dropped uponit or moved over it or to the action of water, alkalis or weak acidsthan is the properly smoothed and varnished surface of the material ofwhich the body of the article is composed, and the plate glass surfacingmaterial, while free from liability to abrasion and to attack byliquids, is expensive and also liable to breakage, in case any heavyarticle falls upon Furthermore, in accordance with the usual practice ofapplying veneer to' furniture or other objects, the veneer is coatedwith an adhesive material such as glue, by means of a brush, and,consequentl the applied coating is generally not distributed withperfect uniformity, whereby a waste of the adhesive material or anon-uniform pended in practising the method above mentioned involve avery considerable degree of expense, and the resulting product is liableto be defective because of a partial drying of the coated surfacesbefore a permanent union between them is effected.

In accordance with my present invention, I impregnate a sheet of porousand, prefer-- ably, fibrous, material of any desired character, such aspaper or textile fabric or a felted material, such, for example, ascotton batting, with a predetermined percentage of the desired adhesivein a liquid state and then, preferably, dry or partially dry the sheetthus impregnated, after which the sheet is applied to the article forwhich it is to provide a surface and subjected to sufficient heat andpressure to effect the softening of the binding material and aneffective union between the surface portion of such mlatgrial and thesurface to which it is app ie The sheet of impregnated material ispreferably cut to the size and shape of the surface to which it is to beapplied and united and, if the impregnating material is of a characterwhich softens under heat and hardens upon cooling, the applied sheet isfirst subjected to heat and pressure and then, while still underpressure, is cooled.

-If, on the other hand, a phenolic condensation product is employedas-the adhesive or binder, the applied impregnated sheet is subjected toheat and pressure to first soften the binder and then to transform it toits solid, substantially insoluble and infusible, state.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a plan view of aplate or body provided with a surfacing sheet in accordance with mymethod, approximately onehalf of the surfacing sheet being broken away;Fig. 2 is a sectional viewof a plate provided with a surfacing sheetapplied in accordance with my process; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view ofa mold such as may be employed in case the surfacing sheet is to beapplied to aplate or block which may be placed in a mold, such plate orblock and the surfacing sheet being also shown In this I figure.

Although my process may be practised by the use of any one of aconsiderable variety of apparatus, 1 have shown in the drawing a moldcomprising a body portion 1 and a pressure platen 2, each of which isshown as provided with a set of pipes or passages 3, through which steamor other hot fluid may be circulated for the purpose of heating theparts of the mold to the desired temperature. Other heating means may,of course, be employed, if desired.

As shown in each of the figures of the drawing, the body 4:, which maybe of Wood or any other desired material and be intended as a table,desk, sideboard or bureau top or any other portion or piece of furnitureor other article of manufacture, is provided with a surfacing sheet 5which is composed of a sheet of porous and preferably fibrous material,the fibers of which are either woven or matted together, and which isthoroughly impregnated with a binder, preferably a phenolic condensationproduct, such as bakelite, and which is applied, compacted and securedto the surface of the body portion 4 by the application of heat andpressure, which, as above indicated, may be applied by the means shownin Fig. 3 or otherwise.

In order to insure a smooth, polished outer surface for the sheet 5, Ipreferably interpose an oiled metal plate 6 between the bottom face ofthe platen 2 and the outer face of the sheet 5.

The surfacing material may embody any desired color or figure design, orboth, by incorporating one or more sheets of fabric having such designor the material may have any desired color or colors imparted to it byadding suitable coloring material or materials to the liquid binder withwhich the sheet material is impregnated, and such surfacing sheets maybe applied to surfaces having any desired contour, provided thepressure-applying members, which are utilized in connection with heat tocompact the material and cure the binder, are given the surface shapedesired.

It will be understood that my invention is adapted and intended forutilization in connection with the manufacture of apparatus and devicesof great variety and range of use and that such apparatus and devicesmay be made serviceable and attractive in apearance at a relativelysmall expense,although made of inexpensive materials and without surfacefinish prior to the application of my surfacing material.

I claim as my invention:

An article of manufacture comprising a body portion of wood or similarmaterial and a relatively thin surfacing material consisting of fibrousmaterial and a phenolic condensation product serving to bind the fibersof the material together and to unite the adjacent faces of the bodyportion and the surfacing material.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 30th day ofAug,

JOHN R. MoOLAIN.

